This invention relates to a tappet, in particular for cooperating with camshafts in electrical changeover switches, or circuit breakers, comprising a body provided with a cavity opening into two opposing faces of the body and containing, movable against a spring, a generally flat contact element, the opposing free ends of which project from cavity and from body so as to cooperate with fixed contacts generally arranged at the sides of the body and rigid with the casing of the changeover switch. The movable contact is subjected to the action of an element or slider movable within the cavity and arranged to cooperate with the cams of a usual camshaft.
Tappets of the aforesaid type have been known for some time and have been used for a number of years in electrical components.
However, known tappets generally comprise a number of components which to make it difficult to assemble, particularly in view of their small dimensions.
Their construction is consequently lengthy and laborious, with resultant high cost of the finished electrical component such as a circuit breaker or changeover switch.
A further drawback of tappets of the state of the art is that those movable contacts which cooperate with the fixed contacts of the changeover switch or the like move relative to the fixed contacts, generally along directions perpendicular thereto, i.e. when the movable contacts separate from the fixed contacts the movable contacts move substantially perpendicular to the fixed contacts.
Although this ensures good electrical contact between the contacts, it has various drawbacks, the most important of which is that it does not allow cleaning in particular of the fixed contacts but also of the movable contacts, cleaning is necessary in order to remove the scum, oxides or the like which inevitably form on the contacts during the use of the changeover switch or circuit breaker.